Brace for automobile rear decks or the like



A. CLAUD-MANTLE 3 5 BRACE FOR AUTOMOBILE REAR DECKS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 22, 1936 IN V EN TOR.

ARTHUR DLfiun-MnNTLE BY m WW. I ATTORNEY Patented June 25, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,205,683 I BRACE FOR AUTOMOBILE REAR DECKS on.

THE LIKE Arthur Claud-Mantle, Trumbull, Conn, assignor to The Bassick Company, Bridgeport, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application January 22, 1936, Serial No. 60,226

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved brace for an automobile rear deck, or other structure where it is desired to provide a hinged closure which is supported in open position by a brace. In the usual type of brace heretofore in use it has been necessary in order to close the deck to break the brace from its locked supporting position by manually pressing upon one of the arms, which was both inconvenient and dangerous, as it required the use of one hand and the hand was apt to be pinched by the folding arms. As it is usually necessary to use one hand for supporting the deck as it is being closed and the other for breaking the brace the use of braces ,at both sides of the deck has not been practicable because of the necessity in such cases for use of both hands for breaking the two braces. Also the usual type of brace has been formed of a pair of hingedly connected arms which occupied :considerable space and in which the hinge connection between the arms was subjected to considerable wear. Also this hinged type of brace exerted considerable pressure upon the hinged connection when supporting, the deck closure in open position. i

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brace in the form of a pair of telescopically connected arms adapted to be locked in an extended position to support the. rear deck 30, structure in open position, the supporting strain merely by slightly lifting the rear deck closure priorto closing it. It is further proposed to provide a brace which will be set for looking it by merely moving the rear deck closure to its upper limit position, so that no accuracy or skill will be required in causing the brace to lock.

A further object is to provide a brace of simple and inexpensive construction, which will be com pact, in which the danger of injuring the hands is eliminated, and which may be readily installed upon existing types of rear deck structures.

With the above and other objects in view an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this, embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a brace, according to my'invention, and showing the same in closed position.

Fig. 2 is an inner edge view in closed position.

Fig. 3 is an inner edge View partially broken away and showing the relation of the parts set for looking through movement of the rear deck closure to its upper limit position.

Fig. 4 is an inner edge View showing the brace in its normal open position.

Fig. 5 is an inner edge view partially broken away showing the parts in the tripped position preliminary to closing the rear deck closure member.

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional View of the parts as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the upper end of the lower arm showing the springsupporting cradle structure.

Fig. 8 is a central vertical sectional View thereof.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken along the line 99 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional View taken alongthe line Iii-Ill of Fig. 6. 6

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the brace according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a lower arm III, pivotally connected at H to :a bracket I2 adapted to be secured to the interior of the side wall l3 of the rear deck compartment and an upper arm l4 telescopically connected to the arm It, as will presently more fully appear, and pivotally conrear deck closure supporting nectedat its upper end at l5 to a bracket l6 bent top portions 20-48 bent into parallel spaced" relation to the base portion, and guide flanges 2|2l bent outwardly at right angles from the portions 2026 in spaced relation to each other.

The upper extremities of the flanges 2| are spaced from the upper end of the top portions 2il2ll and these portions above the flanges 2l--2| are secured to the upper end of the arm Ill by means of extruded rivet studs 22-22 formed on the arm Iii and engaged in apertures in the portions 202l1 and riveted over to thus secure the guide body. to the arm ID.

The arm M is slidably engaged in the space between the am it and the base N3 of the guide body and has secured to its lower end a stop and trip member formed of sheet metal and substantially corresponding in cross-section to the crosssection of the guide body, comprising a U-shape trip. portion 23 disposed in longitudinal alignment with the space between the flanges 2 l2l, 

